Borderline
by boswifedeb
Summary: When Lt. Michael Hoyt is accused of taking bribes, he calls on the people that he knows he can trust: Matt, CJ, and Uncle Roy. Will they be able to save his job and his reputation? Rated T for violence. **Immediately follows "The Russian Merger"**
1. Chapter 1

**Borderline**

****This story takes place immediately after "The Russian Merger"****

**CHAPTER 1**

"Happy anniversary, Anne." Lt. Michael Hoyt gave his wife a hug.

"You be careful out there, okay, Michael? I love you." She straightened his tie and gave him a kiss.

"I will. Love you." Hoyt walked out the door, got into his car and headed for the station. He and Anne had plans for that night. They were celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary and were going to dinner and a concert. He had surprised her with the tickets last night, a present from Houston. Hoyt wondered how Houston knew that he and his wife had wanted to go.

He laughed; how Houston knew half of what he did about people was a mystery. When they had first met they sure hadn't been friendly. Hoyt had transferred into the precinct after Lt. Vince Novelli had been forced to take early retirement due to a gunshot wound he suffered while working with Houston on a case almost three years ago. He had tired quickly of hearing about the exploits of Novelli and Houston. It seemed that Novelli had given him free reign; he was allowed to view records anytime he wanted and walked around the department like he belonged there. The lieutenant had an instant dislike for the man. He was rich, white, a southerner, and just too slick. Hoyt tried to put a stop to Houston's visits to the station. It only lasted a couple of weeks. He soon learned why Novelli had trusted the private detective so much. Curious about the man, he had pulled Houston's military record. He had two Bronze Stars, three Silver Stars, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was also the best investigator going, be it private or police.

Hoyt thought back to the terrible day that his daughter Kathy had been kidnapped by a child molester and murderer. Houston had been right there for him and even took a butcher knife to the chest when he tracked down the maniac. He had nearly died. From that day on, he had Hoyt's undying loyalty. That wasn't to say that they never disagreed. Houston could still be a large pain in the butt, but Hoyt knew that he meant well. Like the incident that the cops at the precinct called the "Yogurt Bomb". Houston had thirty six cases of yogurt delivered to the lieutenant's office, partly as a joke and partly to help him with his ulcers.

As he drove into the parking garage, Hoyt decided to pay Houston a visit later that day to thank him personally for the tickets. He got out of the car, got onto the elevator and headed up to his office, still thinking about his date with Anne that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"Good morning." Matt was standing over CJ with a breakfast tray. She sat up in the bed and Matt put the tray over her lap, then leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"So how do I rate royal treatment?" CJ sounded better than she had. She still had a stuffy nose and sore throat from the cold that had been with her for almost a week, but was feeling better.

"Because you're my wife." Matt handed her a napkin. "My lady, for your breakfast pleasure, we have grapefruit, toast, and coffee." He bowed to her, making her laugh.

"Thank you, kind sir." She took a sip of the coffee. "So what have you got going today?" She hadn't gone to the office for the last three days at the orders of her husband. It had been nice to stay home and nap in front of the TV, but she was ready to get back to work.

"Believe it or not, nothing. Just paperwork." He made a terrible face, which made her laugh again. "I saw that one of your favorite movies will be on at 10:00 this morning." So he wanted her to stay home again.

"Maybe I can catch it another time. I'm going back to the office today." She knew she was going to have to fight him on this.

"Nah, just stay home and take it easy." He kissed her forehead.

"I don't have a fever." She looked at him and could tell that he thought that had been a smooth move on his part. He looked down and smiled, then back up at her. That look always made her heart skip a beat. He really had no idea how much he did that to her. "I'm going to the office."

"You could just stay here, there's nothing going on." Matt wanted her to take it easy. She had been working really hard lately, between helping him with investigations and taking a job defending a client who had been accused of embezzling. She had won the case, too.

"Matt, honey, I know you mean well, but I'm going stir crazy around here. I'm not going to get into too much today. I just have some things on my desk that need to be finished up." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "But I will let you play chauffeur for me today. How's that?"

"Guess it's better than nothing." He stood up and headed for the shower.

An hour later the couple was heading into town, Matt singing along with the radio and CJ smiling at him when her cell phone rang. "It's Hoyt." She answered. "Hi, Michael, happy anniversary."

Matt turned down the radio. "CJ, I need your help. I've been accused of taking a bribe. Can you come down to the precinct?" Hoyt sounded extremely worried.

"Sure, Matt and I are headed that way now. I should be there in about thirty minutes or so. Is that okay?" She looked over at Matt whose face was a question mark.

"That's fine. I hate to bother you. I know Houston said you had a cold…" Hoyt looked down.

"I'm much better now. I'll see you in a few minutes." She hung up and told Matt what was going on with Hoyt.

"You're kidding me. There's no way he'd take a bribe." He and Hoyt were good friends and had been through a lot in the three years that they had known each other. Matt checked the mirrors and didn't see any cops so he hit the gas pedal.

A short time later, Matt and CJ walked into the police station. Sgt. Peterson had been expecting them. He gave them visitor badges and sent them up to the conference room on the fifth floor. "Matt, I know how you feel about Hoyt. He's your friend. And he's mine, too. But let me do the talking in here, okay? I'm the lawyer and I know what kind of traps they will try to make him fall into. As a matter of fact, it would be better if you stayed outside."

Matt looked at her for a second. He was mad, but then what she said did make sense. He didn't want to hurt Hoyt's chances. "Okay, if you need me just holler." He took her in his arms and gave her a big hug. The elevator doors opened and he allowed her to step out in front of him. Two officers were posted at the door of the conference room.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Houston, no one is allowed in." The younger of the two officers stopped her as she tried to open the door.

"I'm Lt. Hoyt's attorney and he asked me to be here." She was polite but firm.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll let them know you're here. Please wait." He slipped into the room for a minute, then held the door open for her. "Sorry for the delay, ma'am. Just following orders."

She gave the young man a smile and walked into the conference room and walked over next to Hoyt, who stood up and pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She opened her briefcase and removed a legal pad and pen. "Just for the record, gentlemen, I need to ask each one of you to print and sign your names here please." She passed the pad to the older officer at the head of the table who looked somewhat angered. "Just a formality, I'm sure you understand how that goes." She gave him a winning smile. The man did as she asked then passed the pad and pen to the next officer. After each had signed, CJ thanked them. "Now, Capt. Craighead, would you please tell me what charges are being brought against my client?"

"Well they aren't charges per say, it's just an investigation." He had heard about CJ and her husband Matt but had never met them before.

"Okay then, could you tell me about your investigation and the causes for it?" CJ continued to be pleasantly professional.

"There have been allegations that Lt. Hoyt has taken bribes. One is reported to be from a known drug dealer, and the other from the head of a stolen car ring." The Captain handed CJ a copy of the accusations.

"Thank you, Captain." She read through the allegations. She had heard of both of the men who were claiming to have paid Hoyt for "protection". They came up with the story of bribery after they had been arrested. "And I take it you are willing to take the word of two men with numerous convictions over the word of a decorated officer who has been serving this community for fifteen years?"

"Mrs. Houston, we have to investigate all allegations that are made against our officers." Lieutenant Brannigan gave her a contemptuous look. "I for one find it interesting that, as soon as he was brought in for questioning, he called a lawyer. Sounds guilty to me."

"And we're all entitled to our own opinions, Lieutenant. Just like Lt. Hoyt is entitled to have an attorney present during questioning just the same as the two men who accused him of these bogus charges." CJ kept her tone casual, but there was no doubt she wouldn't be taking any guff from any of them. "Now, will there be anything else gentlemen?"

"Yes, there is. Lt. Michael Hoyt, until our investigation is completed you will surrender your badge and weapon immediately." Capt. Craighead held out his hand. Hoyt hesitated for a moment, then handed over the revolver and badge. "You will keep yourself available for questioning." The group of Internal Affairs officers filed out of the conference room.

Hoyt hung his head. "Michael, you need to come with me." CJ stood and tugged at his arm. He didn't move. She leaned down and quietly spoke. "Come with me now, and don't say a word to anybody, understand?" He finally got up and followed her out into the hall. Matt was waiting for them. CJ could see the questions in his face but gave him a small shake of her head, indicating that he shouldn't ask anything. The three got on the elevator and went down to the parking garage. CSI technicians were taking Hoyt's car to be checked out. He looked at CJ. She took him by the arm and headed for Matt's truck.

No one said a word until they were out of the garage and on their way to Houston's office. "Hoyt, you okay?" He looked up in the mirror at his friend.

"No, not really." Hoyt looked as if he was ready to cry.

"We'll get this straightened out. Promise." Matt took CJ's hand and held it all the way to the office.

When they got off of the elevator CJ led Hoyt on in to the main part of the office while Matt stopped to talk to Chris, the secretary, for a minute. "Chris, I know Uncle Roy wanted to take a few days off, but we need him right now. Tell him it's for Hoyt. And we're not taking any more cases until this is cleared up." The secretary nodded. Matt walked up the steps and through the doors into the main part of the office, closing the doors behind him.

Hoyt was sitting at the bar drinking a cup of coffee. CJ was pouring two more cups. Matt sat down next to him. "Okay, let's start at the beginning. How did all of this come about?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I got to the office this morning and Brannigan was waiting for me. They had already searched the office before I got there, as well as my locker. Sanchez told me that while I was waiting for the elevator." He drank the coffee and stared into the cup.

"CJ, have you got a copy of their allegations?" Matt took the papers and went to the couch and sat down to read through them. "Freddie Alderson. They've gotta be kidding. He wouldn't tell the truth if it would save his own grandmother." He read further. "Salazar Ortega. Pffft. He's one of the biggest dealers in town." Matt finished, then stood up and walked back to the bar. "Okay, have you ever busted either of these guys?"

"Alderson, yes, but not Ortega. It was a couple of years ago. We set up a sting operation using some cars that had been impounded. A couple of Jaguars and a Mercedes. Alderson's men boosted the cars and took them straight to his shop on Alameda. When we made the bust he was actually trying to pull off the VIN plates." He looked up at Matt. "But I wasn't the arresting officer. Guiliano was."

"And you've never had anything to do with Ortega. Okay, so we start on Alderson and maybe we'll find something to link Ortega." Matt refilled his coffee cup. "Do you know if they're in lock up right now, or did they make bail?"

"I have no idea. Like I said, I didn't even get into my office this morning. Oh, God, what am I going to tell Anne?" He closed his eyes and laid his head on his arms. CJ patted him on the back.

"We'll get to the bottom of it, Michael. Do you want to go ahead and call her?" She pushed the phone over to him.

"Might as well get it over with." He punched in his home number. Matt and CJ walked out on the patio.

"Where do we start?" CJ stood next to Matt looking at the traffic down below.

"First I need to see if they're still in lock up. Then – I'll think of something." He shook his head and turned to face his wife. "It's going to be hell to try to prove him innocent." Matt took her hand in his and rubbed it.

"I know. And I think he does, too." She hugged Matt. "We've got to prove he didn't do it. He's worked too hard to lose everything now."

"Yep. Guess I better go try to find out what I can. Maybe Sanchez can help me out. He's Hoyt's right hand man." He kissed her and squeezed her hand. "Love you. Keep a good eye on him and don't let him leave."

"Matt, watch yourself. I love you." She watched him head through the office, then she walked in just as Hoyt hung up the phone. "How is she doing?"

"She's as shocked as I am. But when I told her that you and Matt are helping me she was relieved." He turned on the bar stool to face her. "CJ, I just don't know what to do. I'm used to being on the other end of an investigation."

"The first thing you're going to do is try to keep calm. Matt's gone now to start on this thing. And you know how he is… a pit bull has nothing on him when there's a friend involved." She gave him a smile.

"You know, I was just thinking this morning about when we met." He laughed. "I didn't like him one bit. But now…I've come to depend on him. A lot. When I first got transferred in, I thought Novelli was crazy for trusting him so much. But now I understand." He took another sip of coffee. "So, what do I do now?"

"I think you should start by telling me the name of every person that might try to frame you." She headed for the couch and "BABY", the computer that she and Matt used in their investigations. Hoyt followed and sat down beside her.

"You know, this could take a while." He looked over at her.

"That's okay, 'cause right now you're our only client." She started punching keys on the computer as Hoyt started rattling off names.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Matt was waiting for Sanchez outside the police precinct near the food truck. He knew the officer came down every day about 10:00 for a burrito and coffee. He waited until the man had placed his order, then walked up next to him. Luis Sanchez looked over and saw him. "No, whatever it is, no." He was shaking his head.

"Well, good morning to you, too." Matt ordered a coffee. When Sanchez received his order he walked over to one of the nearby picnic tables and sat down. Houston followed him and sat down across from him.

"Look Houston, I can't tell you anything, okay?" He nervously looked around.

"Ya know if you keep looking guilty like that and looking around like a whipped dog, somebody's gonna think you're up to something." He took a sip of the coffee. It was just as bad as ever.

"I don't need any trouble, Houston. For all I know they'll come after me next." He nervously took a bite of the burrito.

"Look, just answer a couple of questions. It's for Hoyt after all." He looked Sanchez straight in the eye. "Now, who searched Hoyt's office? Was it Brannigan?" Sanchez nodded. "Alright, did he have any help?" Sanchez shook his head no. "Terrific. Now we're getting somewhere. Was he already in there when you got upstairs?" The officer nodded again. "And nobody witnessed his search?" He again shook his head no. "Are Alderson and Ortega still in lockup?" The answer again was no. "Did Brannigan say anything to you?" The answer once again was no. "Did he say anything to anyone else?" Sanchez nodded and swallowed a big bite of burrito.

"He only talked to the Lieutenant when he got there. Nobody else." He finished the burrito. "That's all I know, Houston." He got up and left the table and went back inside. Matt waited a minute, then went to the front desk and talked to Sgt. Peterson.

"Hey, Bob. I need to look at a couple of files." He acted as though nothing unusual was going on. "Sure, Houston, come on back and help yourself." Matt walked around the counter and was looking for the files on Alderson and Ortega. They were nowhere to be found. Peterson passed him a piece of paper with a message on it. "IA has the files." Matt pulled another file and pretended to look at it for a minute, then thanked Bob and walked out.

As he walked across the parking garage to his truck he heard the squeal of tires but thought nothing of it. The coating on the garage floor's surface was known to cause tires to squeal. But the sound of an engine being gunned grabbed his attention quickly. He jumped up on the hood of a nearby squad car to avoid being hit by the undercover car. As he slid back off of the hood, he tried to see the license plate but couldn't make it out. It was a navy blue car, just like a lot of the others parked around him. He continued on to his truck. If a cop was out to get him, it would do no good to report it to other officers. He had no way of knowing who else was in on it.

Matt made his way over to Alderson's shop over on Alameda. How he had managed to stay in business all this time was a mystery. But then Matt thought to himself, _Maybe it isn't such a mystery. He may have some influence in the department._ He passed by the shop and took a quick look around. It still appeared to be in use.

As he headed back to the office, he called CJ. "How's it going there?"

"We've been going through a list of people who might want to cause him some trouble. How about you? I'm putting you on speaker." Matt waited as she pushed the button and hung up the receiver.

"I don't have anything real solid just yet. And I'm going to be working late tonight. I'll explain it to you when I get there. Bye." Matt hung up. He wanted to tell them what he had found out in person.

He got back to the office and rode up in the elevator with Uncle Roy. "I'm sorry about your time off, Uncle Roy. But we sure need your help right now."

"Nonsense. Michael's my friend, too." They got off the elevator and went on in the office. Hoyt and CJ were still on the couch working on a list of possible suspects. Matt and Roy both sat down.

"Let me ask you something, Hoyt. Are there any cops on that list?" He watched his friend carefully.

"No, of course not. Why would you ask such a thing?" Hoyt sounded offended.

Matt was trying to decide if he should tell them what happened in the parking garage. "Let's just say that I received a message from someone who isn't pleased that I'm helping you."

CJ turned to look at her husband. "What kind of message?" She didn't like the sound of it.

"Nothing in writing. Just a close call with an undercover car." Matt saw the shock on Hoyt's face.

"Are you okay?" He looked at Houston. The man had already been stabbed and come close to dying trying to save his daughter.

"I'm fine. But I couldn't see the license plate, sooo…" He left the rest of the sentence to hang in the air. "And I found out a little more information." Matt told them about his conversation with Sanchez.

"Un uh. No. They are supposed to have a witness when they do a search." Hoyt looked over at CJ. "But they'll know that Sanchez told us if we say anything, and I don't want to get him in trouble." He looked down at the carpet.

Matt thought about the problem for a minute. "Hoyt, didn't you tell me that they installed surveillance cameras in the area outside of your office?"

He looked up. "They did. About two months ago." Hoyt actually had a glimmer of hope in his eyes now.

"And didn't you tell me that the footage was stored on the department's computers for thirty days?" Houston was starting to smile.

"Yes, I did." Hoyt was grinning from ear to ear. Then the smile disappeared. "But you'd have to have access…"

"Shush, Michael. I'm busy here." CJ smiled as she punched keys on the computer. Hoyt exchanged a look with Matt.

"She's very serious about her hacking, Hoyt." He tried to say it with a straight face but couldn't pull it off. He watched as his wife not only breached the department's security, but downloaded the videos for all of the building for that day, plus the two days previous. She then made two copies: one to go in her office, the other to go in the safe.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me…" She left and went into her office and filed away the flash drive, then went to the safe and put the other in it. CJ walked back in with a big smile. "Now, let's see what we've got, shall we?"

All four leaned forward as the video started playing. Hoyt's office was clearly visible. The blinds were all open and Brannigan could be seen searching through the desk and file cabinets without a witness. "Got him!" CJ leaned back and smiled at Hoyt.

Hoyt leaned back and shook his head. "We've still got a problem. How can we show this evidence? They'll know that you hacked the system and then you'll have problems."

"Well, if Brannigan plays fast and loose like this all the time, he probably thinks he's thought of everything…like erasing the evidence. We beat him to it. I think we should keep it under our hats for now, and if this hasn't been put to rest in a couple of days, request the footage. If it's missing, that will put a black eye on the department – but not you."

She turned and looked at Matt. "You said you would be working late tonight. What are we doing?"

"WE aren't doing anything. I will be on a fact finding mission." He didn't want CJ anywhere near Alderson's place. She gave him a look, and then started to say something but Matt broke in before she could. "CJ, let's go in your office for just a minute. Please?" He got up and led the way with her following closely. Roy and Hoyt exchanged looks.

"I believe it may be about to get very interesting." Roy looked back toward the door that was now closed. "How about some coffee?"

"Well, since I've only had about four cups today, sure, why not?" Hoyt got up from the couch and he and Roy walked to the bar. Both had expected to hear raised voices and were surprised that it hadn't happened – yet.

CJ was sitting in a chair inside her office, Matt kneeling in front of her. "CJ, I know you're mad at me right now. But will you please just hear me out?" She nodded and he took a deep breath. "Look, it's not that you aren't capable of doing what I will be doing. It's not that you're not gutsy enough to do it. I…" He searched for the right words. "I'm responsible for you and …if you should happen to be pregnant…" He looked back into her eyes. "I can't take a chance like that. Please let Uncle Roy and me handle it. After the incident the other day at the hospital when you tackled that nurse… it got me to thinking about things." Matt was referring to a case they had just closed where Uncle Roy wanted them to look into the suspicious deaths of three of his friends.

CJ looked at him. At first she was mad, no doubt, but she realized that he was right. They had been trying to have a child from the day they got married and she knew that there was a distinct possibility that she could be expecting. She rubbed his cheek and jawline, where the ever-present stubble was reappearing and smiled at him. "You're right, Matt. I just don't want to be treated like I'm helpless, okay?"

He pushed her hair back and leaned forward and kissed her. "You're far from helpless, that's for sure. I just want us to have a family and I want you to be safe." The pair hugged then Matt stood up. "We better get back in there before their imaginations start running wild." He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

Out at the bar, Hoyt and Roy heard the laugh. "Hmmm, that's not what I expected." Roy smiled at his friend who was grinning and he replied, "With that pair, you never know what to expect."

Matt and CJ came back out to join the other two, both smiling and hand in hand. "Now, what I'm going to do tonight is to sneak into Alderson's place and put some bugs in there. And I ain't talking about cockroaches."

"I imagine there are plenty of those already in there." CJ smiled.

"What about me?" Hoyt looked at Houston. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, Hoyt, you've got a date tonight, remember?" Matt looked at him and grinned. "Go out, have a good time and don't worry about anything tonight. We're taking care of it."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Matt and CJ left the office at about 2:00 and dropped Hoyt off on their way. CJ looked over at Matt, who appeared to be in deep thought. "So what is the plan for tonight?"

"I'm not completely sure. It depends on when Alderson and his boys call it a night. I'll have to wait until they leave to drop the critters." He looked over at his wife and grinned. "What have you got planned for this afternoon?"

"Oh, nothing. Guess I'll just sit in front of the TV and vegetate." She looked over at him and gave him one of her smiles that drove him wild. "Unless you've got a better idea?"

"I believe I can think of something much better to do." Matt took her hand and kissed it.

Matt left a sleeping CJ at 9:00 that night and headed to the parking garage of the office to meet Uncle Roy. They took the van that they used for surveillance jobs and parked in an alley across from Alderson's shop. The pair moved to the back of the van and used the cameras that Matt had installed on the front grill to keep an eye on the activity. There was a steady stream of vehicles coming into the shop, at least one every thirty minutes. After 4:00 am the men working there left. Matt saw Alderson himself lock up the doors.

Matt waited a few minutes, then headed across the street wearing a baseball cap pulled low across his face in case anyone spotted him. He disabled the alarm and picked the three locks on the door. Once inside, he switched on his flashlight. CJ had been right – there were plenty of cockroaches in the building already. They scattered everywhere he shined his light.

Moving on back through what appeared to be at least fifty cars, Matt spotted the office. He had to pick an additional three locks to get into it. After getting inside he planted three cameras each showing a different area of the office, and went through the filing cabinets. There wasn't anything there that had to do with Hoyt. He exited the office and locked the door behind him and started placing cameras around the shop: one to focus on the cars coming in the bay door, one to focus on the main entrance, one aimed at the side entrance, and one placed up high to give an overall view. Then he exited the building locking the doors after him and rearming the alarm.

When he got back to the van, Uncle Roy nodded his approval. "Good job, Matt. Those ought to catch every face going in there."

"And every vehicle." Matt smiled at his uncle. The two went back to the parking garage at the office. "Don't guess there's any point in me going back home, I'll just have to turn around and come right back." He looked a little depressed.

"Oh, I'm sure your afternoon off wasn't wasted. You'll be fine." Roy winked at him, got into his car, and left. Matt headed up to the office and stretched out on the couch for a couple of hours of sleep. He was awakened three hours later by the smell of fresh coffee and sausage and biscuits. Opening his eyes, Matt saw CJ smiling over him.

"Hello, sleepy head. How about some breakfast?" She handed him the steaming cup and a plate of the biscuits that were making his mouth water.

"Thanks." He started to take a bite out of a biscuit, but decided he better kiss the cook first. He put down the cup of coffee and the plate and instead grabbed CJ and brought her down on the couch in his lap. The pair kissed, then CJ scooted over onto the couch and handed him the biscuits.

"So how did it go last night?" She reached up and smoothed his hair down.

"Real good. No problems at all. As a matter of fact do you want the honor of taking the first look?" He pointed toward "BABY". CJ moved down the couch and started the computer. Matt moved down next to her and continued eating his breakfast. In a minute, he was seeing the inside of the shop from the point of view of the cameras that he had installed.

"Nice." CJ punched a few keys and they could see the inside of the office. No one appeared to be working yet. "What time did you finally get in there?"

"About 4 am." Matt yawned and stretched. He leaned over and put his arms around his wife and pulled her to him and kissed her. "Guess I better go get a shower and some fresh clothes." He headed downstairs.

Michael Hoyt came walking into the office a little later and found CJ sitting in front of BABY working on the list of names that the two of them had compiled the day before. "Good morning." "Good morning to you." She clicked over to monitor the cameras as he came and sat down beside her. There was still no one there. "So he got the cameras taken care of, I see. Nice work. You can see everything that goes on in there."

"Yep, should prove to be interesting." She got up and headed for the bar. "Coffee?"

"Sure, thanks." Hoyt followed her and sat down on one of the bar stools. "Is Houston in yet?" From the stairs leading up from the gym he heard the familiar drawl of the man himself.

"Yep, been here since about 5 am." He walked over to the bar and took the coffee that CJ poured for him.

Hoyt sat there in thought for a minute. "Houston, there's something I've got to ask you. What in the world do you people spend on coffee in a month's time?"

Matt and CJ laughed. "Well, believe it or not, Hoyt, it's free. See, a few years back I helped out a fella that owns a coffee plantation in Hawaii. He was just getting started out and I told him not to worry about the fees. So, every month I get paid – in coffee." He took a sip. "Best stuff going." Hoyt just shook his head and smiled.

"How was your date last night?" CJ walked back over to the couch.

"We had a great time. Even forgot all about this mess – at least for a little while." Hoyt looked over at Matt. "Speaking of fees…"

"What fees?" Matt got up and went to sit beside CJ.

"Come on, Houston. All of this surveillance and time is not cheap." Hoyt sat down on the couch with them.

"Neither is friendship." Houston looked at him. "Look, we've helped each other out a lot over the years. I know you've had your butt crawled more than a few times because of me. It's the least I can do." Hoyt looked down at the coffee cup in his hand. Matt could tell he was upset, so he decided to liven up the conversation. "Besides which, if you're not working there anymore I'll have to work on another contact."

Hoyt's head shot up. He was about to let Houston have it when he noticed the smile that the private eye just couldn't hide and the lieutenant sighed. "Why do I fall for this stuff? Every time? Hook, line, and sinker?" Matt and CJ both snickered.

"Okay, boys, looks like it's show time." CJ had just noticed Alderson coming into the shop. "And look, it's the head cockroach himself." The trio watched as Alderson unlocked the office, went inside and started a pot of coffee. "Cockroaches like coffee. Who knew?" CJ looked at Hoyt and winked. He snickered and bumped Matt with his elbow.

"No wonder you're always so happy when you're coming to me for help – you've got a comedian on staff." He looked at CJ and gave her a big grin.

"Yeah, and she's one hell of a cook, too." He reached over and put his arm around CJ. Uncle Roy stepped out of the elevator and walked into the office. "Ah ha, so we have a new channel to watch this morning. Coming in crystal clear." He poured coffee and joined the other three on the couch.

Hoyt looked around. "Maybe this is what I'm doing wrong at work. I should be working from my couch instead of the desk." Everyone had a good laugh.

"Hey, hey, who do we have here?" Matt had spied someone coming into the shop. "Now, I could be wrong, it's been known to happen once or twice, but that looks like one of the guys that came out of your meeting with IA yesterday." Hoyt leaned forward. "Yeah, I can't think of his name, though."

"Sgt. Ryan Adkisson. He was sitting next to Brannigan in the meeting." CJ looked over at Hoyt.

"Yeah, you're right." They watched as Adkisson handed a fat brown envelope to Alderson, who took it and stashed it in his desk drawer. "Bet that wasn't a birthday card he just handed over." Hoyt was glued to the screen.

CJ punched a few keys and the audio become much clearer. Adkisson walked to the window of the office and looked out. "He says that's all until the whole thing is over."

"Is that so? Well, I believe he's forgetting who's in charge here." Alderson got up and walked over to Adkisson. "Does he need to be reminded?"

"Look, I'm just the messenger. You got a beef with him - take it up with him, not me." He walked out the door, through the shop, and outside.

Matt and Hoyt exchanged glances. "Sounds like the cockroach isn't playing well with others. We need to keep a close eye on Adkisson as well. What do you know about him?"

"Nothing. Yesterday was the first time I ever laid eyes on him. Could be he's new to IA." Hoyt was still watching the monitor.

"Uncle Roy, do you want to take that angle?" Matt looked over at his uncle.

"I believe I can do that." The dapper older gentleman stood up straightening his tie and whistled as he made his way to the elevator.

"Now, while Uncle Roy is taking care of that, I think we need to do a little more investigating into Brannigan." Matt got up and walked around the office. "What do you know about him?" He turned to look at the lieutenant.

"Not much. That's the way it is with most of the guys that work for IA. They keep very low profiles. I've heard that he's tough on the people he investigates, whether or not they are found guilty. As a matter of fact, several of the people that he has investigated in the last couple of years that were found to be innocent left the department anyway." He looked at CJ and then Matt. "As a matter of fact, I'm considering it myself." He got up and walked to the window as Matt and CJ looked at each other in shock.

"Hoyt, just because this jerk is causing a few problems…" Matt walked over to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not just this, Houston, although it is definitely a trigger. It's just…I became a cop because I wanted to help people, not drown in paperwork and politics. I've got fifteen years in, so if this mess doesn't drag me down into the sewer my pension will still be good." He looked at Matt who was still in shock.

"You don't mean it. You're just tired, and who could blame you. But really, man, think about it. Those pensions are fine as long as you've got other income, but that alone, no way. Plus you've got Kathy's college to consider." He was really concerned; it wasn't like Hoyt to just give up.

"I'm tired of fighting." Hoyt sat back down on the couch.

"You're tired of fighting? Hell, it's hardly been twenty four hours since all this started and you're gonna tell me you're tired of fighting?" Matt was quickly becoming irate. "I thought you had more guts than that, Hoyt. So what's Kathy going to think if you just roll over and quit? Have you thought of that?" He stared at his friend in disbelief. "We're just starting this thing. And you want to quit."

Hoyt looked at him and put his head in his hands. CJ felt sorry for him, but like Matt she couldn't believe that he would quit. "Alright, let's say I don't quit. Tell me: where do we go from here?"

"Hell, Hoyt, you just heard that there's business being conducted by an IA officer and that scum sucker Alderson. That's a jumping off point right there. We just need to do some digging."

"Pit bull, huh?" Hoyt looked over at CJ, referring to the remark she had made the day before about Matt.

"Yep. Wouldn't you hate to be the other guys?" She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Alright. Let's go after them. What do we do now? You guys get to play by different rules than I do, you know. It takes some getting used to." He smiled at Matt, who walked over and sat down next to him.

"Well, right about now Uncle Roy is running a check on Adkisson. By the time he's done, he'll know what kind of diaper cream the guy's mom put on his butt as a baby." Matt was grinning broadly.

"God, you've got a way with words." Hoyt cracked up and rubbed his hands together. "What can I do?"

"Well, you're going to be pulling the night shift with me, keeping an eye on Brannigan." He got up and stretched.

"How are we going to do that?"

"Well, CJ is about to run a check on him, including his bank records, credit cards, all that good kind of stuff. Do you know if he's married?" Matt stood up and walked behind the couch.

"I didn't see a ring yesterday, but we can find out for sure." CJ did some more key punching. "Yep, according to this he's been married six years to one Pamela Shoop."

"Got any idea if she's employed?" Matt sat back down next to her.

"She works for the DMV. Poor girl. Married to that jerk and working at the DMV. I think she needs to dream a little bigger."

Matt looked over his shoulder at Hoyt. "Feel like taking a little ride?"


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Houston climbed back in the van and took off the ball cap and coveralls that he had worn to get into Brannigan's house. Hoyt picked them up and looked at the logo on the back: "Critter Killers – We Can Get Rid of Every Kind of Pest – Except Your Mother-in-Law". "Where in the world did you get this thing? Is there really a pest control company named Critter Killers?" He held out the coveralls to Matt.

"Sure there is. They just sprayed around the Branningan's house for free. 'Course it was just water." He grinned at Hoyt as he folded them up and put them in a corner of the van out of the way along with the sprayer. "Now, let's see what we've got." He punched a few keys on the laptop and the monitors in the van came to life. "Welcome to the Brannigan's. This is the living room, and this…" he punched another key, "is the dining room. Over here…" more keys were punched, "we have the master bedroom and here…" more key punching "the guest room. And last but not least, the kitchen." He looked at the last monitor. "Betcha five bucks Mrs. Brannigan doesn't cook. Nobody's kitchen is that clean."

Hoyt looked at Houston. "You really get a kick out of this, don't you? What made you decide to become a private eye, anyway?"

Matt's expression turned serious. "Something that happened to me when I was five." He looked back at the laptop. "I swore that when I grew up I would hunt down the guys that hurt me and kill them." He looked up at Hoyt.

"And did you?" He had an idea of the case that Houston was referring to; it involved a boy that had been kidnapped and abused by two men.

"Yes." He looked at Hoyt. "That's the reason I do what I do." The private eye turned back to the laptop and began punching keys again. "Alright. We don't have to sit here all night in the van. We can have deluxe accommodations – at the ranch. You need to tell Anne that you're going to be at a sleepover tonight." He grinned.

"I'm sure that will go over really well." The cop rolled his eyes, then watched as Houston worked on shutting down the live feed from the surveillance cameras. There was a lot about this man that he didn't know.

"Okay, stay back here until we get a few blocks away. It wouldn't do for you to be seen around here." Matt moved up into the driver's seat and headed for the office. After a couple of miles he gave Hoyt the all clear to move up front.

"Guess I better go ahead and call Anne." He pulled out his phone and hit her number on speed dial. Matt reached over and snapped the phone closed. "What the hell…"

"Use mine. They may be monitoring yours for all we know." He handed his phone to Hoyt and kept on driving.

Back at the office they parked the van and went upstairs. "Hi, Chris. Has Uncle Roy been back in?"

"Nope. But he called and said he'll see you tonight at the ranch. CJ left a little while ago." The secretary grinned at him. "Somebody is going to get a REALLY good dinner tonight."

"Oh, what's she cooking?" Matt had stopped and turned around.

"She said to tell you to think of your first dinner together." Chris was still smiling. Matt's face lit up. "WHOO HOO!" He turned and went on into the office, leaving Hoyt completely confused.

"Don't worry, Michael, I'm sure you'll hear the story over dinner." She went back to work typing a letter for CJ. Hoyt walked on into the office. "Okay, PI, where are you?"

"Down stairs, but I'll be right there." Matt was already starting up the stairs with a small box in his hand. He walked over to BABY, started punching keys, and after a couple of minutes, he handed the box to Hoyt.

"It's a phone." Hoyt looked at the box then back at Matt.

"Very good, detective. Now see if you can figure out how to get it out of the packaging materials and you win a prize." Matt got up and walked over behind the bar and pulled a Fizzy Pop out of the mini-fridge. "Want one?"

"Sure. But why are you giving me a phone?" He walked over to the bar with the box in hand.

"Because you need one that isn't possibly being recorded." Matt handed him the can.

"These things are like…what, $300 a piece!" He stared in amazement.

"Nahhh, not for me they aren't." Matt just smiled and walked toward the door. "You coming?"

Hoyt followed him out of the office and into the elevator, still amazed at the generosity of the man next to him.

"Whatsa matter? Can't figure out how to get it out of the wrapper?" Houston chuckled as the elevator doors closed.

Uncle Roy's car was already in the driveway when Matt and Hoyt pulled up in the truck. They got out and went in through the kitchen door. Matt stopped just inside the door and took a big whiff. "Mmmm… gotta love catfish." He walked on over to a smiling CJ and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head then rubbing her cheek with his hand and kissing her. The pair stood there hugging.

"Mr. Houston, if you don't turn me loose your dinner will burn." CJ looked up at him.

"By all means, woman, save the fish!" Matt laughed as he headed to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer and handed one to Hoyt. Uncle Roy was sitting at the kitchen table. Matt opened the beer and set it on the table while he pulled out his chair. Roy reached over, took the bottle, and took a sip. "Thanks, boy, mine was empty." He smiled at his nephew. Matt got up giving Roy a dirty look and pulled another out of the fridge and walked back to the table. "So what did you find out about Adkisson?"

"Well, our Lt. Adkisson seems to be a real mover and shaker in the world of police. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA. Did a four year hitch in the army, then graduated top of his class at the academy. And I know why you probably have never seen him before, Michael." He took another sip of beer. "His first three years on the force were spent working undercover as a high school student. He finally outgrew the baby face stage and was put to work in IA. Rather unusual. One might think he had connections somewhere."

"Or he's got the goods on somebody." Matt sipped his beer. "So what else do we know about him?"

"He's engaged to…you'll love this: Brannigan's niece." Roy raised his bottle in a toast.

"Well, maybe that's how he went straight to IA. Anything else?" Matt sat back and looked at Roy.

"As a matter of fact there is. He has some very interesting bank accounts – outside the country. As in the Caymans." Roy looked at Hoyt.

"I'm glad you talked me out of giving up this morning, Houston." He shook his head. "You know I almost went to work for IA a couple of years back. Boy am I glad I didn't."

"Alright, gents, wash up. Supper will be on the table in two minutes." CJ was busy pulling out plates and silverware.

"You heard her, guys. That's the two minute warning." Matt headed for the sink. After he washed his hands he set the table for CJ.

"Awwwww, that's so cute. You know she taught him how to do that." Roy elbowed Hoyt and both men laughed.

"You better be nice to me, fellas. I could just keep all my catch to myself." Matt pulled out CJ's chair for her.

As they gathered around the table Hoyt asked CJ about Chris' reference to their first dinner together. She and Matt smiled at each other and CJ explained to Hoyt how she and Matt had met when they were ten years old. Both had been out checking fences after a big storm, Matt on his dad Bill's ranch and CJ on her uncle's. Matt had ended up helping her to finish the impossibly long list of chores that her Uncle Errol had given her, after which the pair went fishing and Matt invited her to supper. They ended up taking home a stringer full of catfish that Bill's housekeeper cooked for them.

"You mean he actually worked? As in raised a sweat?" Hoyt pretended to be amazed.

"Joke all you want. It was worth it." He leaned over and gave CJ a peck on the cheek.

After dinner, Matt led Hoyt back to the den. "Do you think the screen is big enough?" Hoyt was referring to the huge flat screen TV that was in the room.

"Well, if we were in Texas, I would have to say no." Matt pulled out a laptop from the bookshelf and plopped into his recliner. After kicking off his boots he opened up the computer and began punching keys. The cameras from Alderson's place as well as Brannigan's house appeared. He looked over at Hoyt and winked. "Cuts down on the eye strain." He rewound the coverage from Alderson's and the three men watched. No one else suspicious was seen entering the business that day.

Matt kicked back in the recliner and continued to watch the Brannigan house. Pamela Brannigan had just come in the front door carrying what looked like two bags of Chinese takeout. Houston looked over at Hoyt. "Told ya so."

Hoyt nodded. They continued to watch as she went into the bedroom and began changing clothes. Hoyt looked over at Houston who grinned at him, then clicked off the camera for a minute. Brannigan walked through the front door about that time. Matt reached over to the table beside the recliner and picked up a pad of paper and jotted something down.

Brannigan appeared to be about as nice to his wife as he was to any of the officers he was investigating. Every time she tried to talk to him he would shut her down. After wolfing down his dinner, he went into the living room and got on the computer. Matt jotted down something else.

CJ walked in about then and climbed into the recliner with Matt, who put his arm around her. They watched in silence for a few minutes. Then CJ said, "This show will never win an Emmy, that's for sure." She climbed out of the recliner. "Where ya goin?" Matt watched as she walked back into the kitchen. "The laundry has got to be more exciting than this guy." All three men snickered. Matt again split the screen and ran through the footage from the last few minutes at Alderson's place. There was still nothing interesting going on. He left both locations up on the screen and turned the camera in Brannigan's bedroom back on again. CJ came back in and got back into the recliner with Matt.

After about an hour of watching the surveillance CJ whispered to Roy. "Would you hand me that afghan, Uncle Roy?" He looked over to find Matt peacefully asleep. He got up and helped CJ cover his nephew after she carefully removed the laptop from his hands. "Guess he's tired after last night. I went home and took a nap myself this afternoon." CJ slipped out of the recliner and went to take care of the laundry. "You know, CJ didn't tell you the whole story earlier, Michael." Roy spoke quietly to Hoyt. "Bill told me how Matt used to get up every day at 4am, do his chores on the ranch, then go over and help CJ so her uncle wouldn't bother her."

"I gathered there wasn't any love lost between her and her uncle." Hoyt glanced back up at the screen, then back at Roy.

"No. As a matter of fact, when Matt was 15 he kept two of her uncle's friends from raping her. With her uncle just standing there egging them on." He described how Matt had tackled one of the attackers and beat him, breaking his nose. "He hit the other man in the gut with a shovel. Then the one with the broken nose jumped back up and came at Matt with a switchblade. Matt kicked it out of his hand and knocked him in the head with the shovel. Then he threatened to kill CJ's uncle." Roy looked over at his nephew. "You know, that man never so much as spoke a cross word to her after that." Hoyt looked over at Houston.

"Bill said he knew they were in love from the day they met. She was all Matt talked about. But they got teased so much, I guess that was part of the reason they kept denying it all this time. It's too bad he's not still around. He would be so proud of the two of them."

"They make one heck of a team." Hoyt looked back up at the screen. "Brannigan's on the move. Looks like he's leaving."

"Do you know if Matt put a bug in his car?" Roy stood up and watched the man walk out of the house. It was almost 9:00.

"As far as I know, he didn't." Hoyt looked at the screen.

CJ walked back in. "What's going on?"

"Can you tell if Matt put a bug in Brannigan's car?" Roy walked closer to the screen and was looking at Alderson's garage.

"Sure." She walked over to the laptop that was sitting on the coffee table and called up the BugBytes program that Matt had been developing with Derwin Dunlap. "No. He doesn't have any activated."

"Guess that's on the to-do list for tomorrow." Roy sat back down.

"You two could go catch a nap if you want, I can watch this." She sat down on the couch with the two of them.

"No, I'm good. How about you Michael?"

"No, I'm way too mad right now to sleep. When I think about the hell I've been through for the last two days and here these guys are…" Hoyt stopped in mid-sentence. "CJ, you were going to check on Brannigan's financials. Did you find anything?"

"Yep. He's got accounts in the Cayman's, too. He's very careful about what he keeps in his checking and savings accounts locally. And I didn't see anything that would indicate why he's in cahoots with Alderson or Ortega."

The three fell silent and continued to watch the video. Mrs. Brannigan went to bed about 10:00. About the same time, Brannigan walked into Alderson's garage. "Hello." CJ sat up and grabbed the laptop to turn up the volume on the camera.

"Ryan passed on your little message." Brannigan had walked right into Alderson's office. "I don't know who you think you're kidding, but you sure aren't the boss of this operation."

"Really? Then why was it that you sent that nice fat envelope to me today, Brannigan?" Alderson propped his feet up on the desk.

"That was what we agreed to pay you. And you better be careful. Ortega is getting tired of all your theatrics." Brannigan walked to the door. "I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut, or he'll shut it for you – permanently."

"No, I really don't think so. See, you two need me. Without my connections you wouldn't be able to pull off your little scam." Alderson got up and waddled over to Brannigan.

"Don't kid yourself. Jokers like you are a dime a dozen. You can be replaced – easily." The cop walked out of the office and out of the building.

Roy, CJ, and Hoyt were all glued to the video. Alderson was clearly mad, and waddled back to his desk and picked up the phone. CJ zoomed in on the phone and wrote down the number that was dialed. "Yeah, it's me. Your boy was just here running his mouth again. I'm going to tell you what I told him: without my connections you jerks wouldn't be able to run your scam. I better start getting more respect – and a hell of a lot more money." He slammed the receiver down.

CJ pulled up the web browser and punched in the phone number. It came back listed to a Mexican restaurant in East LA, one of the known hangouts of Ortega. "Well, gentlemen, we just found the Ortega connection we were looking for." CJ showed them what she had found. Hoyt nodded. "Now all we need to do is find out what the scam is, and see if we can bust them."

They watched the video feed for an hour longer and nothing eventful happened. "I think we can safely get some shuteye now. We can go back over it in the morning." Roy stood up and stretched as did Hoyt. Both looked over at the recliner, where CJ and Matt were curled up together asleep. "When did she go back over there?" He looked at Hoyt. "Beats me." Neither man had noticed her moving. Roy grinned, walked over, and moved the afghan covering Matt so that it would cover CJ as well. He switched off the TV and showed Hoyt to one of the guest rooms after turning off the lamp in the living room, leaving the young couple to their dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Uncle Roy awoke the next morning to the smells of bacon and coffee. As he left one guest room, Hoyt came out of the room across the hall and both men walked toward the kitchen. Matt was still in the recliner asleep and snoring fairly loudly. As they came into the kitchen CJ greeted them with, "Good morning. How do you fellows want your eggs?"

"However the chef wants to cook them is okay with me, what about you Hoyt?" Roy walked over and gave CJ a peck on the cheek.

"I'm game." Hoyt looked back in the den at Houston. "Did he watch anymore video from last night?" He was surprised Matt wasn't already up and moving.

"No, he didn't. He did get a dose of cold medicine about four o'clock, though; seems like he found the cold that I just lost." She stuck her head in the den. Matt was still zonked out. "I knew when he woke me up snoring about three o'clock that he was coming down with it. He never snores THAT loud."

"Well, I guess he'll be off today. Where is he keeping the BugBytes bugs? I'm going to put one in Brannigan's car." Roy took a sip of the coffee that he had just poured and poured a cup for Hoyt.

"They're at the office – downstairs in the closet." CJ started cracking eggs and putting them on the griddle. "Maybe we should put one in Adkisson's car as well."

"That was part of what I had planned for the day." Matt walked into the kitchen. In a plugged-up, scratchy voice he said, "Somebody forgot to wake me up." He walked up behind CJ and gave her a hug and kissed the back of her head.

"I was letting somebody sleep in because they have a cold." She turned around to look at Matt, whose eyes looked watery.

"Nah, I don't catch colds." He poured himself a cup of coffee and went to sit down at the table.

"How do you want your eggs, hon?" She watched him as he took the first sip of his coffee. "And guess who's got a sore throat."

"Do not. The coffee's just really warm." He took another sip. "And I'll pass on breakfast this morning."

CJ looked at Roy and rolled her eyes. Roy just shrugged his shoulders. "A fella must be sick if he isn't eating the gourmet breakfast that's being fixed." He looked over at Matt.

"I'm fine, Uncle Roy, I'm just not hungry that's all." He got up and started out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" CJ looked after him.

"To take a shower." He kept right on going.

Later that morning the four gathered at the office. CJ pulled up their surveillance videos and they checked through them to make sure nothing important had been missed. Once they were sure it hadn't, they sat down and decided their strategy for the day.

"Okay…" Matt cleared his throat. "We need to bug Brannigan's car and Adkisson's car and condo." He looked down at the pad of paper he had taken notes on last night. "CJ, we need you to hack into Brannigan's emails – see if there's anything interesting there. Also find out his web browsing history." He downed the rest of his coffee and cleared his throat again. "And we need to check out the restaurant where Ortega has been hanging out." He sat back in the chair and rubbed his eyes. "I'm thinking we need to get a camera or two in there as well. That will have to happen tonight."

Roy looked around the table. "Since Michael can't be seen anywhere near our two glorious lawmen, I'll take on the job of bugging the cars – and the condo."

Matt looked at his uncle. "No, I'll take the condo." The two men stared at each other. "Uncle Roy, I've got the condo."

"Matt, I'm just trying to let you take it easy today, okay? No need to get mad." He sipped his coffee as his nephew continued to stare at him.

CJ broke the silence. "Matt, can I talk to you in my office? Please?" She got up and headed that way. Matt continued to look at Roy for a few seconds then followed her.

"Here we go again." Hoyt looked at Roy. "Does this happen very often?"

"No, this is only the second time. And lucky you – you've been here for both." He grinned. "Matt gets a little cranky when he's sick. Not that he'll ever admit to being sick."

CJ sat Matt down in her desk chair. "Alright. You've always been a fairly equal opportunity guy. And that's one of the things I love about you." She started pacing back and forth across the office. "Three days this week you demanded that I stay home because of a cold. Fine, I did. Now it seems that those same rules don't apply to you. Is that right?" Matt just looked at her. "Now I agreed not to get into any dangerous situations because we're trying to have a family. I didn't argue with you over that at all, if you'll remember. It seems to me that since this agency is an equal partnership, you should have the same consideration for me." She had her back turned to him. "I would think you could at least answer…" She turned around to find Matt with his head on her desk – asleep. "Good. I hoped you would see it my way."

She walked back out to where Roy and Hoyt were waiting. The two men kept looking at the door of her office waiting for Matt to come back out. Hoyt leaned over to Roy and whispered, "What did she do to him?!" Roy whispered back, "I'm afraid to ask. You know how lawyers can be."

"Okay, now where were we?" CJ sat back down. Hoyt and Roy looked back at the door to her office and then back to her.

"Uh CJ, where's Matt?" Roy was getting extremely curious at this point.

"He's in my office. Now Uncle Roy, you said you're going to take care of both cars and the condo, right?" She was all business.

"Uh, yeah." He actually was getting concerned for Matt. "CJ…what did you do to him?"

"I put on my lawyer routine and talked about basically nothing for a few minutes until the cold medicine I slipped in his coffee took effect." She got up and headed for the coffee pot. Hoyt couldn't take the suspense anymore and went to her office door and looked in – just as Matt started snoring. He came back laughing. "Man, I thought maybe she had killed him or something."

"Like you said the other day, with this pair you never can tell." Roy got up and went downstairs to retrieve the bugs that he would need. When he came back upstairs, CJ was working on Brannigan's emails and web browser history. He winked at Hoyt and went over and stood behind CJ. "Ma'am, if it's okay with you I'll just go plant those bugs now." CJ just shook her head and kept punching keys. Roy could be heard chuckling as he waited for the elevator.

Hoyt's old cell phone rang and he checked the caller ID. "Oh, boy, it's Brannigan." CJ walked over to the table and pulled out her phone and punched the recorder app. "Put it on speaker." Hoyt did and then answered the phone.

"Lt. Hoyt, this is Capt. Brannigan of IA. We need to have you come back in today for further questioning. You will be here at one o'clock."

He looked at CJ who nodded her head. "Okay, Captain." The IA officer hung up. "Such a lovely personality." Hoyt made a face.

"I'm going to call Uncle Roy. Now we know that both Brannigan and Adkisson will be there at the same time this afternoon, he can kill two birds with one trip." She hit Roy's number on the speed dial and told him what was going on.

"Good thinking, CJ. That way we'll know they're busy. I'll go ahead and do the condo now." He hung up the phone and headed that way. When he got there, he donned the coveralls and cap that Matt had left in the van and grabbed the sprayer. He headed toward Adkisson's place. Everyone seemed to be gone and Roy was glad of it. The fewer people that spotted him, the better. He picked the lock and quickly closed the door. After checking out the layout, he put cameras in the bedroom, kitchen, and living room. He was out in under four minutes and back in the van in another two.

Hoyt had decided to go home for a while so he could shower and change before his appointment with Brannigan. As he was about to leave, he thought about Houston and how CJ had slipped him the cold medicine. _Bet he really is going to be cranky when he wakes up!_ he thought to himself. He got into his car and headed back to Houston's office. About halfway there, he noticed that he was being followed by Adkisson. "So, the future uncle-in-law has got you doing his dirty work, has he? Guess I won't be going back there just yet." He pulled into a carwash and paid for the deluxe service. Once inside, he called CJ on the phone Matt had given him and told her what was going on and where he was.

"Very sneaky, Michael, I'm proud of you!" She laughed. "Now what are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking that the ducks at the park are probably hungry right now – also very safe and very boring." He was almost out of the carwash. "Gotta go. I'll meet you at the front desk of the precinct at 12:45."

"That'll work. See ya then." She hung up the phone just as Roy exited the elevator.

"How's the mickey victim doing?" He walked over to the couch where CJ was.

"I was just about to go check on him." The two went to her office. Matt was still there sleeping. She walked in and checked for a fever. "He's a little warm." Matt woke up just then looking slightly confused. "Hi." CJ stood there smiling at him. He glanced at the clock, made a face and then checked his watch.

"CJ…" He was thoroughly confused.

"You fell asleep while we were talking. You know – about you taking it easy today." She didn't bat an eye. "Uncle Roy went and took care of Adkisson's place and we'll take care of the cars this afternoon – Brannigan called Hoyt and told him that he needs to be at a meeting at one."

Matt rubbed his eyes. "So where does that leave us now?"

"Basically, just waiting until the meeting." She gave him a hug. "Why don't you stretch out on the couch and we can keep an eye on the videos?"

"Okay." He got up and started out to the couch, then turned back to her. "Sorry I was so grumpy earlier." The look he gave her made her feel a little guilty about slipping him the cold medicine – almost.

"No problem. We all have an off day, don't we?" She kissed him on the cheek and the two headed back out to the couch. Roy walked over to the window and stood looking out over the city.

"Sorry about being a jerk, Uncle Roy." Matt went and lay down on the couch.

"Nah, you weren't. Just a difference of opinion. Kinda reminds me of an incident that happened during my days with the company. There was a fella there, name of Kendrick. He and I always butted heads over who was going to do what…"

"Uncle Roy?" CJ was trying hard not to laugh. Roy turned around and looked at her. She pointed to the other end of the couch – where Matt was already asleep.

"Just trying out my lawyer routine." He grinned at CJ and sat down next to her to keep an eye on the videos.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

After a couple more hours of sleep and some chicken soup, Matt was feeling a good bit better. "CJ, what did you find out about Brannigan's emails and web browsing?"

"Well, let's see. He has very few emails – mostly spam. Although there were a couple of interesting ones from two different banks in the Caymans…I printed those out for you." She handed them to him and he read through. "Okay, so this is more confirmation on his hiding money." He handed them back to her and she placed them in the folder that she had started on the case. "What about the browsing?"

"Brannigan seems to like porn. That was almost all that he looked at – other than airline sites and information on Samoa. It kind of sounds like he's planning a trip, doesn't it?" She tapped the file in her hand.

"Maybe the partnership he's got with Ortega and Alderson is about to hit the rocks." Matt started pacing. "If that's so, we may be running out of time."

CJ looked at her watch. "Guess I better get going to that meeting. I'm supposed to meet Michael at 12:45." She headed to her office to get her things.

"I'm going with you. After what happened to me over there the other day, I don't want you there by yourself." They headed to the elevator together. "And I promise to stay out in the hall." He looked at her and smiled.

Matt and CJ arrived at the precinct about ten minutes early. He was very cautious as he walked her to the elevator in the parking garage and kept a good eye out. As they got on the elevator, CJ said, "Guess they didn't know you were coming today."

"Good thing, too. They would have gotten something they weren't expecting." He patted under his jacket indicating the pistol that was there.

Hoyt was waiting for CJ at the front desk as planned. The three got on the elevator and headed back up to the conference room on the third floor. Matt leaned over and gave CJ a kiss on the cheek. "Go get 'em, counselor." She kissed him back and squeezed his hand. "See if you can stay out of trouble while we're in there, okay?" He nodded and doors opened.

Matt leaned against the wall outside the conference room and chatted with the two officers that were stationed there. He made sure not to say anything about Hoyt, but kept the conversation turned toward fishing and hunting. It never hurt to have a few more officers have a good opinion of him - especially new ones.

Meanwhile, Uncle Roy was busy in the parking garage planting the BugBytes bugs onto Brannigan's and Adkisson's cars. He had no trouble at all, and went back to the office to monitor the video feeds.

After two hours of questions involving Ortega and Alderson, Hoyt was again excused but told once more to keep himself available for further questioning. They met Matt in the hallway and all three went back down to the parking garage again. Matt handed Hoyt a piece of paper that said "open in the car". He gave Matt a slight nod and went on his way while Matt and CJ got into the truck and went back to the office. Once there, Matt activated the bugs on the cars and they continued to monitor the videos.

Once Hoyt was out of the parking garage and stopped at a traffic light he opened the paper. It said:

Go home. We'll call you in a little while and work out a plan.

"Works for me." Hoyt looked behind him to see if he was being tailed again, and sure enough, there was Adkisson a few cars back. "Somebody should have taught this boy how to tail better." He drove home just as he normally would and went in the house to spend some time with his wife and daughter. A couple of hours later, the phone that Houston had given him rang and he answered.

"Hey, Hoyt. There really isn't any reason for you to have to be here tonight. We're going to take care of the restaurant and then monitor it and the others at the ranch. I don't know what time we'll be able to get in the restaurant, though. Could be another long night." Matt sipped his coffee.

"Okay. Well, if you decide you need me, let me know." He knew he would never be able to pay Matt back for all of his help.

"Well, we don't want to tip our hand, so the best thing you can do right now is just hang out at home – or cut the grass or go to the grocery or whatever you usually do on a Friday night." Matt chuckled at the last part.

"I can do that. Guess I'll see you in the morning." He decided that cutting the grass would probably bore Adkisson the most so that's what he would do.

"Alright. 'Bye." Matt hung up. "He's going to be plain old boring Michael Hoyt tonight." He looked at CJ and smiled. "Guess you can head on home if you want. We need you to watch the video feed tonight while we're at the restaurant. Is that okay?"

"No problem. What are you boys going to do until then?" She picked up her purse and was digging out her keys.

"Keep an eye on the cockroaches – after I walk a pretty lady to her car." Matt got up and took her by the hand and headed toward the elevator. On the ride down, he looked at her and smiled. "That was a pretty smooth trick you pulled this morning."

CJ tried keeping a straight face. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You spiked my coffee with cold medicine." He took her in his arms. "I love you, too. Sorry I was a grouch."

"I can neither confirm nor deny the said event." She hugged him close.

"That's my lawyer. You be careful on the way home, okay?" He opened the door on her Navigator and closed it behind her. He leaned in the window and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Be careful tonight." She started the engine, backed out of the parking space, and headed home.

Matt went back up to the office and found Uncle Roy still watching the video feeds. "Anything interesting going on?"

"Looks like Alderson is ready to ship out a load of cars." Roy pointed to the corner of the screen where a tractor trailer was being loaded. He and Matt watched as that truck left and another took its place.

"I think it would be interesting to find out where they're going, don't you?" Matt looked at his uncle. "If there are any of those trucks there tonight, we should pop a bug on them."

Roy nodded. "I did some checking on the restaurant. They close at 10:00. But if Ortega is running his business from there, we've got no way of knowing when it will be empty."

Matt sat and thought for a few minutes. "You know, Uncle Roy, I believe I'm going to take a ride in the direction of Alderson's place. Maybe I can get a chance to pop a bug on one of those trucks while it's still there, or follow it to where it's going."

"Trying to put a bug on there now is too dangerous. But the following is another story." He looked over at his nephew. "Are you taking your truck or the van?"

"The truck. I'll leave the van for you in case it takes me a while to get back. You can get set up somewhere near the restaurant and then I can meet you. Deal?" He held out his hand.

"Yep." Roy shook it. Matt went downstairs to get a few more of the bugs, then headed on out to Alderson's garage.

About thirty minutes later Matt cruised by the garage. Outside there were three trucks waiting to be loaded. The back doors on them were open and the trailers were empty. Matt parked in a lot around the corner and called Uncle Roy. "Hey, they've got three empty trucks outside ready to be loaded. What's going on in there?"

"Just what we saw earlier. By my count they've loaded ten trailers so far. Alderson is in the office and there are three guys working on loading – not counting the truck drivers." Roy dropped the feed of Brannigan's house so he could see the garage more clearly.

"Okay, tell ya what. I've got three of the bugs in my pocket ready to go. I'm gonna go in that alley that we used the other night and wait for you to tell me when to run across and plant them. What do you think?" He was moving the truck as he spoke.

"Sounds like a plan. Tell me when you're ready." Roy continued to keep an eye on all of the feeds from the garage.

"Okay, I'm set." Matt was peeking around from behind a dumpster.

"Go." Roy's eye's swept across the different camera angles. "Still doing good."

Matt ran across the street and popped the first bug onto the first truck in the line, then went to the second and the third. He was running back to his truck when Roy gave him a warning. "They're about to pull the truck out."

"Well, I'm back to my truck. Do you know how to activate them?" He didn't remember telling his uncle how to turn on the bugs via computer.

"No, but I'm a quick study." Roy switched his view to the desktop and found the BugBytes program. "Okay, I've got the program opened up."

"Good. Now look on the left hand side of the screen and you'll see a list of the bug numbers. I just installed 19, 20, and 21. Click on 19 and another screen will come up. Down at the bottom you'll see an activate button. Click it and tell me what you see." He was glad Roy had caught on to using the computer so quickly.

"We've got a green screen that says "activated" so I'm assuming that's good, hey?" He grinned.

"Yep, now just do that for the other two and we're good to go. I'll see you in a little bit." He hung up the phone and backed his truck out of the alley way and headed for the office, stopping on the way to pick up some Mexican food from his favorite restaurant. When he stepped off of the elevator, Chris was just getting ready to leave. He held the elevator for her, told her good night, and went on in to the office and started pulling their dinner out of the bags.

"Great timing, boy, thought I was gonna eat the couch cushions in a minute." Roy walked over to where Matt was pulling out two trays of some of the best-smelling Mexican food going. "Got you a combo platter, Uncle Roy: two tacos, a burrito, rice and refried beans. That okay with you?"

"More than okay. Guess we need to eat Mexican food before we hit that job later." He picked up the tray and a fork and headed for the couch. Matt followed suit bringing a couple of Fizzy Pops with him. The pair ate as they watched the last three trucks being loaded. After the last car was on, the driver of the truck walked back to Alderson's office. Matt turned up the volume.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alderson stood up behind his desk and then started around it.

"Getting rid of a big problem." Matt and Roy both recognized Brannigan's voice. The police lieutenant pulled a gun equipped with a silencer out of the back of his jeans and fired two shots at the tubby car thief: one hit his head and one hit his heart. He fell onto his desk. Brannigan quickly turned and went back out to the garage where the three men who had been loading the cars stood talking. He shot all three in the back then began loading them into the trailer and went back for Alderson's body as well. Matt looked at Roy. "Okay, who do we tell about this? We don't know who's in on it." They looked at each other then back to the screen as Brannigan pulled the truck out of the garage and closed the doors as if nothing had ever happened. Matt called Hoyt on the new phone and told him of the events.

"He what?!" He, like Matt and Roy, didn't know who to tell. "I guess…hell; I don't know what to do, Houston." He sat down on the couch while his wife Anne watched with a worried expression. Hoyt rubbed his temples. "We really can't afford to tell anybody."

Matt snapped his fingers. "I may have something. Okay, we know this is tied to Ortega somehow. Ortega is a drug dealer. We could contact DEA. That way we wouldn't be dealing with LAPD." He looked at his uncle who nodded his approval. "Uncle Roy thinks that's the way to go. How about you?"

"It sounds like our only choice. I know a guy who works for them. How do you want to work it?" Hoyt looked at Anne who was hearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

Matt paced for a minute. "Tell you what. Is your tail still outside?" Hoyt looked out the window and up the street.

"No, it looks like he gave me up as a lost cause." He closed the blind.

"Load up Anne and Kathy and drive out to the ranch. I'll call CJ and let her know y'all are coming. And you call your friend at the DEA and tell him to meet us out there. I'll see you in a bit." He hung up and looked at Uncle Roy. "I believe we better skip the restaurant tonight. We may be about to get a big boost in the help department."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

CJ was waiting for Hoyt and his family when they pulled up. She had Bo and Lamar, Houston's ranch hands, keeping an eye on the front gate. She welcomed the family into the house and immediately armed the security system. "Well, Kathy I believe you've grown a little bit since the last time I saw you." She hugged the girl. "You know what? Matt has got one of the new G-3 video game systems in one of the guest rooms. Would you like to play?"

"How did he get that? It isn't even due out for another three months?!" She was practically beaming. Hoyt started laughing. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Houston's been working with Derwin Dunlap on more than just bugs, am I right?"

CJ winked and nodded. "Boys and their toys, you know." She led the way into the guest room and showed Kathy where the console was and in no time she was wrapped up in shooting aliens. The three adults sat down in the den. Hoyt stood back up and started pacing. "I can't believe this whole thing has turned out to be as big as it is." He looked at CJ. "I just can't figure out why they went to the trouble of trying to implicate me."

"They needed a scapegoat to take the heat until they got out of the country. At least Brannigan did. I'm not so sure Adkisson knows everything that's going on." Her cell phone rang. Bo was letting her know that Matt and Roy, as well as the DEA agent were coming up the drive.

Hoyt turned to Anne. "You better stay with Kathy. The less you two hear, the better." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. She nodded and headed back to the guest room.

CJ and Hoyt went into the kitchen just as the three men walked through the door. "Good to see you again, Roper." Hoyt held out his hand to the DEA agent who looked slightly angry. He shot a look at Houston. "You didn't say anything about me being roughed up by your help here, Hoyt."

"I had to make sure you were who you said you were." Matt didn't look the least bit apologetic. "Now, I suggest we go in the den so you can see why we called you." He led the way as CJ re-armed the security system.

After seeing the evidence that was presented to him, Roper's attitude changed quickly. "You guys have really stumbled onto something here. We've been trying to get a man undercover in Ortega's organization but we haven't been successful. Two agents have died so far because of it."

"Well, where do you want to go with it?" Matt stood up and walked around the room. "It seems to me like the best thing to do is see where the trucks go…and I've got a pretty good idea where that's going to be."

"Oh?" Roper had decided that this Houston guy was no slouch.

"I believe Ortega has been trading the cars he gets from Alderson to his drug suppliers down in Mexico, then paying Alderson out of the profits of the drug sales." He stopped and looked at Roper.

The DEA agent nodded. "That sounds like a very probable scenario." He watched the dots on the map move, as the tracking devices on the trucks reported their locations. "I'll have one of my guys pick up Adkisson and we'll get a chopper in the air following these trucks." Roper looked at Houston. "You guys have been doing some top notch work." He smiled at Matt as he pulled out his cell phone.

"There's one condition, Roper." Matt stopped him from dialing. "Hoyt and I get to be in on the bust."

"No, that's not happening. We don't need civilians…" Matt took the phone away from him.

He stepped very close to the agent and his voice had lowered to where it was just barely audible. "Let me explain something to you. This man right here? He's been a cop for fifteen years. These guys almost cost him his job, not to mention his freedom. He's got every right to be in on this bust and you damn well know it."

"But…" Roper looked at Hoyt who was standing with his arms crossed. "Okay, but you'll have to be in the chopper. You can guide the pilot with your tracking program. Fair enough?"

"Thank you." Matt stepped back. "Hoyt, come with me. We need to gear up." Hoyt followed his friend out of the room and back to Matt and CJ's bedroom. He had never been in there before and was amazed at all of the pictures on the walls: Matt playing football and baseball, bull and bronco riding, and pictures of him and CJ as children.

Matt stepped into the walk in closet and pulled down a black bag. He tossed it on the king sized bed and opened it up, pulling out two pairs of black BDU's and two black long sleeve t-shirts. He tossed one of each to Hoyt and went back to the closet and pulled out two pairs of tactical duty boots. Hoyt's jaw dropped. Matt handed him a pair of the boots and said, "Size 13, am I right?" The police lieutenant nodded, dumbfounded.

"You can change in there." Matt pointed to the master bathroom then began stripping out of his clothes. By the time Hoyt had changed, Matt was walking back into the bedroom with two black duty belts complete with holsters. He handed one to Hoyt and strapped one on himself, then gave Hoyt a Sig Sauer nine millimeter pistol. The police detective was speechless for a few seconds, then spoke. "Where did you…never mind. I'll eventually learn not to ask." Matt grinned and led him back into the den where CJ and Anne were both waiting for them, wearing worried looks.

"You boys be careful, okay?" CJ kissed Matt as Anne kissed her husband.

"We will." Matt picked up the laptop and started to walk out through the kitchen, then turned and went back into the den. He walked over to CJ and gave her a big hug. "I love you." He kissed her again, then walked out the kitchen door.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Matt and Hoyt rode with Roper to the airfield where they were supposed to meet up with the other members of the team. Adkisson had been brought there and was being questioned as the three arrived.

"I didn't have anything to do with any of it – I just delivered an envelope every once in a while." Roper looked at Matt. "Would you care to show our friend here exactly what you have on him?" Matt found the footage of the conversation between Adkisson and Alderson on the laptop.

"So, what else do you want to tell us?" Roper leaned down next to the shaking cop's right side. "You know, they're just gonna love you out in general population at the prison."

"No, you can't put me in there, that's not allowed." Adkisson was sweating profusely.

"You know how these government types are." Matt spoke up. "There's always paperwork getting lost or somebody forgets to send it in the first place." He leaned in toward Adkisson's left side. It worked.

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you what I know, but you've gotta give me some protection!" Adkisson started singing. He told all about how Brannigan had recruited him to work on the scam and he gave the name and location of Ortega's drug supplier in Mexico.

Matt walked back around the table to his laptop and checked the BugBytes program. The trucks were definitely heading to Mexico. Roper turned to one of the other agents. "Take him to the safe house. We're going after the others." He turned and started out of the hanger and hollered back at Houston and Hoyt. "Are you guys coming, or what?" Matt and Hoyt were already walking that way. "The plan is to notify the team that we have sitting on Ortega. The minute we hit the trucks, they hit Ortega." Hoyt and Matt both nodded. They were seated in the back of a UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter along with other members of the team. There was also a second team in another Blackhawk. The choppers took off and Matt fed directions to the pilot over the headset he had been given. In a short time, they could see the tail lights of three of the trucks just beyond them. The plan was for two of the team members to jump from the Blackhawk onto the trailer of the last truck in line, and then work their way up to the cab where they would overtake the driver and use the truck to block the other two semis.

Chris Wright and Tony Page, two of the team members, dropped onto the last trailer and slowly began making their way up toward the front. The Blackhawk rose back up in the air in an effort not to be seen or heard by the drivers. Just as Wright was moving from the trailer to the cab, one of the front tires on the trailer blew throwing him off-balance and off of the truck. The pilot of the first chopper notified the pilot of the second who hung back in order to help Wright. While he hadn't been thrown off, Page was barely hanging on to the edge of the trailer. Another team member, Enrique Mendez was dropped on the trailer and made his way up to help Page. Then both men stood on the running boards of the semi and pointed their weapons at Brannigan. He pulled a pistol out of the seat and fired at both of the agents, hitting Mendez in the arm and completely missing Page. With the glass busted out of the passenger side window, Page was able to open the door and hit Brannigan in the head with his pistol and take control of the truck. He slowed down and allowed Mendez to jump off to meet the other chopper.

Hoyt looked at Houston. "Well, that's the first part of the plan!" He smiled broadly. Matt grinned and nodded as he continued to keep the pilot on track.

Page hit the accelerator and passed the other two semis then pulled the truck across the road, blocking the others from passing. Both trucks' tires were squalling and smoking as they ground to a stop. The two choppers landed and the agents as well as Matt and Hoyt swarmed out and took the two drivers into custody.

After several minutes, Matt walked over to Roper. "Shouldn't we be taking off to get the dealer in Mexico? If these trucks are late, they're going to know that something's up."

Roper shook his head. "No, we can't go down there, surely you know that."

Matt's face went white. "After all that we've been through to get this far you aren't going to finish the job?" He grabbed Roper by the collar. "How do you think this is ever going to be over if you don't take out the supplier?" Two of the other DEA agents grabbed Matt and pulled him back.

"Are you crazy? We can't go across the border! We don't have any authorization to do that. That would have to come from the Mexican government." He straightened his collar and started to turn away from Matt.

"Yeah, and we all know about how the government works, don't we? Most of the politicians are on the take from the drug lords." He shook off the two agents who had grabbed him. He turned and headed back toward the Blackhawk. Hoyt followed and caught up with him.

"You know he's telling the truth: we can't go to Mexico. Can you even imagine how much…what are you doing?" Matt had gone up to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat. "You aren't seriously thinking of…oh, hell you are!" Matt fired up the engine on the Blackhawk and before Roper or any of the others could react he took off toward Mexico.

"You do realize that this helicopter is federal property? And you're stealing it? As in a federal charge?" Hoyt was struggling to strap himself into the seat next to Houston. _Okay, this is it! He's finally lost it for sure! _Hoyt thought to himself.

"If you don't want to come along I'll drop you off somewhere." Matt looked over at Hoyt. "I'm tired of folks starting a job and not finishing it, because they're afraid of what some other country will think." Hoyt knew he was referring to his time in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Look, I understand, but this could get you into some deep trouble, Houston! Come on, really, you can't do this." He knew he had to stop him, but what in the world could he do? "Houston, what about CJ?"

Matt's head jerked around. Hoyt had hit a nerve. "Think about it, man. Do you want to lose CJ? Because if you go down there and get yourself killed, if there's a baby on the way, do you want your kid to grow up not knowing his dad because he did something stupid?" Matt was no longer flying forward, but he had the chopper hovering.

"Damn it!" Houston looked toward Mexico and he looked back at the other Blackhawk that was now closing in on him. He then slowly turned the helicopter around and started back toward the trucks. He knew Hoyt was right, but it did little to no good to get the dealers on the US side of the border as long as there were still suppliers on the Mexican side. He landed the chopper exactly where it had been before and went and sat back in the back. Roper boarded and started in after him. Hoyt stood between the two.

"Roper, we need to talk…outside." Hoyt grabbed him by the arm and went out to try to explain to him why Matt did what he did. It took some convincing but he made Roper realize that without Matt and all of his hard work, they never would have caught Brannigan, Adkisson, and Ortega. "You owe the man that much. He kept more of your agents from being killed trying to infiltrate Ortega's organization. And if you ever want my help again, you better let him go and forget any of this just happened." Roper finally agreed. Hoyt went back on the chopper and sat down next to Matt.

"Hoyt, I'm sorry. Thanks for …"Matt started in to apologize, but was cut short by Hoyt. "Look, I owe you a lot already Houston. You almost died trying to save my daughter. Do you really think I'll ever forget that? Not to mention that none of this tonight would have happened and I wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of being cleared by IA if it wasn't for you and your hard work. And all those critters!" He looked at Matt and started laughing. "How many of those damn things have you got anyway?" Houston started laughing, too. The DEA agents who boarded the chopper for the return flight all gave the two a wide berth and lots of curious looks.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Matt and Hoyt pulled up outside the Houston home at midnight. Matt looked over at his friend. "Before we go in here, Michael, I owe you a big apology and a big thank you." He looked down at the keys in his hand. "Sometimes I get a little hot-headed. Like you didn't already know that." The pair laughed. "Let's go inside, grab a beer and relax a little bit, whatcha think?"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day." Hoyt got out of the truck and followed Matt into the house where CJ and Anne were both waiting for them. Both men took their wives into their arms and held them close.

"Did you get the bad guys?" CJ played with the collar on Matt's shirt as she looked up at him. "Yep, as much as we could, huh?" He looked over at his friend, who just rolled his eyes. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one."

The next day, Hoyt was given back his badge and gun. He called Matt after meeting with Capt. Craighead. "I even got an apology – and a job offer." He didn't say anything for a minute.

"A job offer? What, to move to IA?" Matt sounded incredulous.

"Yep." Hoyt left his friend dangling for a minute.

"And?" Houston was pretty sure he wouldn't take it, but you just never knew.

"I said hell no! Do you think I'm crazy? Enough folks already think I'm a pain in the ass." He started laughing. "Almost had you on that one, didn't I, PI?"

"Almost. 'Course down in Texas we say almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." He waited, knowing that Hoyt would have something to say about it.

"Like I said the other day, you've sure got a way with words." He laughed again. "Thanks, Houston. Again. I owe you. God, I hate saying that!"

"Nope, you don't owe me anything." He looked over at CJ, who was standing at the side of the pool. "Y'all have a good weekend, Hoyt." He hung up and walked over to his wife, grabbed her in his arms, kissed her, and dove into the pool with her.


End file.
